Page 67 of Bracing The Storm

Let’s just say I can’t even watch when disaster strikes on TV and have to keep my eyes closed all the way through any scenes that hint at people being in mortal danger or worse.

We’re on the open sea, surrounded by raging waters, any sight of the shore lost in the torrent of rain that’s pouring down on us. I keep holding on to the rope for dear life while trying to ignore the freezing cold sensation. We’re barely half an hour in and my entire body is already shivering uncontrollably, though I can’t tell whether from the cold or the sheer effort to stand on my own two feet. Given the current weather conditions, I can only hope the fisherman was clever enough not to venture out too far out here because there can’t possibly be any hope for him.

“I see something,” a man yells. “Over there.”

“Where?” someone yells back.

I turn to peer into the darkness, craning my neck to get a better look. That’s when a gust of wind hits me so hard I lose my footing and I slip on the wet wood, letting go of the rope.

It all happens so fast I don’t even get to catch my breath.

An angry wave dips the boat low to one side. Without the rope I have nothing to hold on to and am tossed over the railing, landing in the freezing water. All the air’s knocked out of my lungs as I’m carried by a wave like a piece of dead wood, pulled under and into the depth, the dark surface of the water quicklyclosing over my head. My brain registers what is happening, and adrenaline surges through my veins. My arms and legs begin to flail in a panic, but I’ve never been a good swimmer and the movements are too uncoordinated.

It’s too late anyway.

The current is too strong, and in the freezing water, my body feels numb, alien, as though it doesn’t belong to me. In a bout of clarity of mind, I remember something about preserving energy. Try to float. Don’t move too much. Keep my mouth closed. Don’t swallow the freezing water. Stay calm. Someone’s surely noticed me going overboard and help is coming.

But it’s all easier said than done.

Seconds seem to stretch into minutes. I don’t see the light from the boat anymore. All I see is darkness. The water’s cold my entire body’s frozen, but my lungs feel like they’re on fire from the lack of oxygen.

I’m going to drown.

That’s the last conscious thought I have before I close my eyes and succumb to my fate.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Lori.”

It takes me a long time to realize a voice is calling my name over and over again. I open my eyes and groan against the sudden brightness blinding me for a second.

“Am I dead and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?” My voice sounds hoarse and cracks in places. There’s a scratching sensation at the back of my throat that makes it hard to speak.

The male voice laughs. “I’m glad to say you’re pretty much alive though your little diving adventure could have taken a different turn.”

I sense the shift in his mood before Patrick’s features sharpen into focus. I look around me, still a little groggy. “Where am I?”

The room with its modern charcoal furniture and an open fireplace where hungry flames are lapping at huge wood logs looks nothing like a hospital. The four-poster bed is bigger than mine and the open door to the right gives a glimpse into a walk-in closet.

“My bedroom,” Patrick says. “You were on the brink of hypothermia and I didn’t have time to switch on the heating so I lit a fire.”

I glance from the crackling logs to the man sitting on the edge of the bed. He looks both sheepish and a little uncomfortable, probably mentally begging me not to speak out the obvious.

But shutting up for the sake of it has never been my forte.

“That reminds me, you removed all the logs from my room. You were going to let me freeze to death.” I raise my brows. “What wasthatall about?”

“Technically it’s too warm to freeze to death, but you might have ended up with a bit of frostbite.”

“You play dirty.”

He grimaces. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t one of my proudest moments. I ended up saving your life last night though. So, the way I see it, I should be forgiven. Let’s bury the hatchet.”

“For good?”

He nods. “For good.”

“No more playing dirty.” I hold out my hand and he grabs it, his long fingers caressing my skin in the process. My skin tingles where he’s touching me, sending my temperature soaring.

---